


No Time Like the Present

by Triangulum



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 21:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14941410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triangulum/pseuds/Triangulum
Summary: She makes it all of two chapters into her book before James "Bucky" Barnes, former Winter Soldier, someone she has talked to precisely twice, bursts in, breathing heavily. Before Darcy can ask what the hell is going on, he's dashing across the room, ducking behind the arm of the couch she's leaning on. Darcy raises her eyebrows and pokes her head over the couch."I'm not here," he says, tucking himself down enough that if someone walked in, they wouldn't be able to see him."I beg to differ," Darcy says.Darcy glances at the hall when she hears footsteps, then back down at Barnes, who's making frantic shushing noises. Well, at least whatever he's running from isn't dangerous, or he'd have dragged her into hiding, too. Probably. She hopes."Bucky?"And yep, that's Captain America's voice she hears calling down the hall. She peers down at Barnes again, leveling him a very unimpressed look, one she usually reserves for Tony. He looks at her with pleading eyes and she just groans. So unfair, the asshole. She can't resist a good pair of puppy dog eyes, and the lure of being someone's partner in mischief. He knows it too, by the small smile tugging at his lips.





	No Time Like the Present

**Author's Note:**

> So last time, I was like cool, got the Bucky/Darcy out of my system, can go back to writing as normal. My brain says LOL no.

Darcy has seen The Martian a dozen times. Loves the movie, loves that Jane can't even pick much wrong with it besides storms on Mars never getting as big as the movie depicts. But she hasn't read the book yet. There's just always been something. First it was a big break in Jane's research that sent them trotting off to the desert again, then it was a security threat that had them running around the country for three months, then it was being the wrangler for three of the most brilliant, and goddamn _frustrating_ , scientists in the world.

Now, though, she finally has some time. Tony has whisked Jane, Bruce, and a contingent of his other scientists to some conference in California, leaving her with a blissful week off. They'd offered to bring her along, and as tempting as a week on a beach is, she knew she'd be roped into helping, so she'd declined, happy to have a little staycation in New York.

Darcy plops down into the corner of the comfiest couch in the common room and pulls out her book. The floor is quiet, most of the department using this as blessed time off, and she hasn't seen anyone else all day. She settles in, has JARVIS play a soft playlist she has for background noise while she reads, and opens her book.

She makes it all of two chapters before James "Bucky" Barnes, former Winter Soldier, someone she has talked to precisely twice, bursts in, breathing heavily. Before Darcy can ask what the hell is going on, he's dashing across the room, ducking behind the arm of the couch she's leaning on. Darcy raises her eyebrows and pokes her head over the couch.

"I'm not here," he says, tucking himself down enough that if someone walked in, they wouldn't be able to see him.

"I beg to differ," Darcy says. 

Darcy glances at the hall when she hears footsteps, then back down at Barnes, who's making frantic shushing noises. Well, at least whatever he's running from isn't dangerous, or he'd have dragged her into hiding, too. Probably. She hopes.

"Bucky?"

And yep, that's Captain America's voice she hears calling down the hall. She peers down at Barnes again, leveling him a very unimpressed look, one she usually reserves for Tony. He looks at her with pleading eyes and she just groans. So unfair, the asshole. She can't resist a good pair of puppy dog eyes, and the lure of being someone's partner in mischief. He knows it too, by the small smile tugging at his lips.

Darcy sighs and leans back into the couch, picking up her forgotten book and pretending to read it right when Steve walks in. He startles at the sight of her, probably expecting her to be gone with the rest of Team Science. She just quirks a brow.

"Miss Lewis," he says politely, ever the gentleman. "Have you seen Bucky?"

"Bucky? Tall, dark, mysterious?" she says. "Lickable scruff? Hair I really want to braid? Always has you over his shoulder like an angry mama goose?"

She feels more than hears him shift behind the arm of the couch, though she's pretty sure Steve didn't notice over her music still playing.

"Uh, yeah," he says. "Have you seen him around? We were supposed to go running earlier but I can't find him."

"Nope," Darcy says. "I'm taking advantage of not having to wrangle scientists, it's been a day of just me, jazz, The Martian, and pizza."

"Right," Steve says. "If you see him, let him know I'm looking for him?"

"Sure thing, jelly bean," Darcy says, looking back to her book. 

Steve hovers in the doorway for a minute before turning and heading back to the way he came. Darcy doesn't look up from her book until she hears the ding that lets her know the elevator arrived, and the soft whooshing of its door closing. She sets her book down on the coffee table and gets on her knees, crossing her arms against the side of the couch, looking down at Barnes, crouched beneath her. He looks up at her, looking so damn grateful that it makes her ache a bit.

"Wanna tell me why you're hiding from Captain America?" she asks. "Oh god, I lied to Captain America. Is that like a felony?" 

Barnes snorts and stands smoothly, graceful in a way she'll never achieve. 

"No. He'll just pout for a while, but no jail time will be involved," he says.

That shocks a laugh out of her, which he looks a bit surprised at. She wonders how many people laugh around him anymore. That makes her ache a bit, too.

"And you're hiding from your best friend because...?" she prods. "The world's most immature game of hide and seek?"

Barnes huffs what might be a laugh and shakes his head.

"No, it's - " He pauses, like he isn't sure how to say what's on his mind. Darcy waits patiently, patting the seat next to her in invitation. She's not sure if he'll take it, but whenever they've talked it's been on good terms, so she isn't really surprised when he sits. "It's...if he coddles me any more, I might lose what's left of my goddamn mind."

"I know this is a radical idea but did you, you know, _tell_ him that?"

Barnes sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. "I tried. He's just so..."

"Earnest? Hopeful? Relentlessly helpful?" Darcy suggests.

"Yeah," Barnes says, corner of his lip twitching before his face turns serious. "I don't want him to be disappointed when he figures out I'm not the friend he remembers."

"Barnes..." Darcy says softly, careful to make sure her face doesn't show pity.

"Bucky," he says. "My friends...call me Bucky."

"We're friends?" she asks, grinning. Fuck yeah.

"If you want to be. The second I've made since the 40s," Bucky says, shaking his head. "You and Sam. Not great company you're keeping there, doll."

"Could be worse," she says. "You could be stuck with Ian the ex-intern."

"The guy who turned out to be Hydra and you tased until he was a drooling mess?"

"That's the one."

Bucky shakes his head again at that, but he isn't frowning anymore, and that was the goal.

* * *

Darcy doesn't know if Bucky really knows what he signed up for when he agreed that they're friends, but when she's friends with someone, she's all in. She's careful not to hover and overstep like Steve does, but she makes her presence known. 

When Bucky makes an appearance at the movie nights Darcy and Tony insist on, she makes sure to flop onto the couch next to him, the spot everyone except Steve leaves empty, consciously or not. He looks a bit surprised, like he wasn't really expecting her to be public about talking to him, like his friendship would be her dirty little secret. Well fuck that, Darcy doesn't do dirty little secrets. Loud and proud is how she rolls.

Steve, from his spot in the kitchen making popcorn, watches with his eyebrows raised, but doesn't say anything. Good. She'd hate to have to lay into Captain America.

When Darcy goes to the gym (god, she fucking hates it), she makes sure to pick the treadmill next to his, despite the other occupants giving her looks of alarm. She ignores them like she always does. She tosses him an extra Power Bar, and he adjusts her treadmill elevation to give her a better workout ("You call this friendship?" She just gets a smirk in response).

When Steve has to leave for missions, often with promises to Bucky that he'll be back soon and sad eyes, Bucky spends most of his free time with Darcy. If the lab isn't too busy (he still is a bit skittish around large groups of people), he'll come down and help her with her work, or help Jane move around equipment. The first time he'd come down, Jane had just stared at him, assessing, before saying he looks strong enough to help and dragging him around the lab to move equipment. Bucky had looked at Darcy incredulously, but Darcy had just waved with a cheery smile.

They discover that Bucky likes to cook. She doesn't know if it's something he's remembering, or something he's discovering for the first time, but one afternoon he just insinuates himself next to her at the stove, helping her stir the spaghetti sauce she has bubbling. It's nothing fancy, not gourmet by any means, but he helps her make dinner like it's second nature. He joins her when she cooks a lot more after that.

* * *

Darcy may be scatterbrained at times, and yeah, sometimes her ADHD takes the reins when she isn't expecting it, but she isn't stupid and she isn't unobservant. She sees the way Bucky carries himself, how when he stands, it's shifted slightly so his metal arm is out of sight. When they sit together, it's always his right arm that rests on the couch behind her, his right side that she cuddles into. People (not everyone, but enough) wince away from the metal arm, and that makes Bucky hide it that much more.

That ain't gonna fly.

The next time she sees him in the gym, she purposefully takes the treadmill on his left. He's wearing a short sleeved shirt, metal arm glinting in the fluorescent light. Darcy doesn't acknowledge the way it twitches when Bucky realizes it's exposed to her, just teases him about running too slowly. It makes him roll his eyes and reach over to her treadmill with his metal hand, upping her speed. While yeah, that sucks, it has the effect she'd been going for, so she lets it slide. 

When Steve is gone, she brings him to the kitchen in her quarters (figuring he'd be more comfortable with this if other people aren't around) and instructs him on making cookies from scratch. She takes his hands in hers, pretending she doesn't notice the way the left one twitches, like he's about to snatch it back. Before he can, she gently turns it over, taking a nitrile glove from the counter and tugging it onto his hand. He watches her, unreadable expression on his face, as she finishes and gives the same treatment to his right hand.

"I hate the feeling of dough on my hands," she explains, tugging on a pair of gloves for herself. "Plus, more sanitary this way. Not that your super soldier serum doesn't protect you from food poisoning, but I don't have that luxury. So, gloves."

Bucky glances down at his hands, but doesn't say anything. She shows him how to correctly knead dough, how to roll it out. He seems happy to have something to do with his hands, hands that were forced to do unspeakable things, that isn't destructive. She watches his hands work, strong and capable, and tries to tramp down the flare of heat between her legs when she thinks of what else those hands could do. She swallows hard and goes back to showing him the best way to shape the dough before putting it on the cookie sheet. 

When they're done and waiting for the cookies to finish baking, cleaning the kitchen up a bit, Bucky pulls off his gloves, tossing them in her trash. He stands there for a minute, staring down at his hands. He knows what she's doing. She knows he knows what she's doing, there's no way he couldn't, but he doesn't tell her to stop. And he doesn't roll his sleeves back down his forearms until he leaves, a tupperware container of cookies in his hands. She considers that a victory.

The next movie night (they watch Evolution, because it's Clint's turn to pick and he likes watching the veins in their resident scientists' heads pulse), she sits on Bucky's left. Normally he steers her to his right and she goes automatically, not even thinking about it. But tonight, the lights already down, she nudges him over, squeezing in the space between him and the arm of the couch until he gives in and moves over, giving her room. He sits stiff and unsure and she's pretty sure he's about to bolt. Not happening. 

Darcy takes him by the metal wrist and tugs his arm over her shoulders, leaning into his side. It's nothing different than they normally do, except it's not his flesh and bone arm around her. He doesn't run, but he doesn't relax either, not until they're a half hour into the movie. Bit by bit, the arm around her relaxes, no longer as stiff as it had been. The muscles she's leaning against in his torso soften, given her a better cushion to lean on. She pats his thigh absently, letting him know she notices and is thankful. She hears him huff and feels the brief press of his stubbled cheek against the top of her head before he tuns his attention back to the movie playing. 

Darcy can feel Steve's eyes on her and when she looks over, sure enough, he's looking at her, a slight frown on his face. She raises her eyebrows at him, and his face immediately clears, smiling at her slightly. She smiles back, but still feels a bit unsettled. She doesn't know if he's worried about Bucky or feeling like she's co-opting his friend or what, but it makes her nervous. She's not trying to steal Bucky out from under Steve, if that's his worry. She's also not trying to make Bucky uncomfortable or push him to do things he doesn't want to, which she thinks is realistically what Steve's worried about. She looks back to the screen as Julianne Moore and David Duchovny argue, biting her lip.

Bucky notices her tension and shifts a bit, looking down at her with a concerned frown. His fingers, metal warm from her body heat, tighten around her shoulder, thumb brushing over her skin. She smiles up at him and gives him a thumbs up to let him know she's fine and cuddles back into his side. His arm stays tight around her for the rest of the night, thumb rubbing comfortingly over her arm.

* * *

Darcy is expecting it when Steve seeks her out. He waits until Bucky has his therapy appointment, when he knows he won't be in the labs. Steve looks unbearably awkward, shifting on his feet in the doorway, knocking on the door frame. Jane barely looks up, just shouts hi and waves him in. Darcy waves from her desk, pulling out her headphones as Steve approaches.

"Hey, Steve," she says. "How's America's Sweetheart today?"

"Hi, Darcy," Steve says, shaking his head like he always does when she calls him that. "Fine, it's - can I talk to you?" 

"Yeah," Darcy says, proud that her voice doesn't betray the way her heart just started racing. Is he about to warn her off of Bucky? Tell him he wants her to leave him alone? "Jane, I'll be right back!"

Jane mutters something unintelligible that Darcy takes for assent and leads Steve to a quiet back room where they keep a couch for when someone needs to take a quick nap in the middle of a science bender. She sits cross legged on one end of the couch and Steve sits on the other end, looking entirely too serious for Darcy's liking. She considers making a flip joke like she normally would, but for once decides to bite her tongue and wait for Steve to talk. He opens his mouth a few times without speaking, like he isn't sure what to say, before Darcy takes pity on him.

"What's up, Steve?" she asks.

"It's about Bucky," he says. She bites her tongue, manages not to say, 'No shit,' though it's hard. "I wanted to thank you."

And that...that's not what she was expecting.

"You what?" she asks, jaw dropping.

Steve smirks, like he knows what she's thinking. Captain America, a goddamn troll.

"Thank you, for all you're doing for him," Steve says.

"I don't understand," Darcy says. Her brain is still offline, so sue her. 

"I know you two are friends and you treat him...normal. You don't stare at his arm or wince or tread lightly around him," Steve says. "You...you _tease_ him. And he teases you back. It's...it's good for him. And I just wanted to thank you."

"Oh," Darcy says, blushing. "Uh, no thanks necessary, really. Like you said, we're friends. I'm happy to do it."

"I'm glad," Steve says, smiling. "He can use some friends. And I try to be around as much as I can, but I think he feels like I'm smothering him sometimes. I don't know what else to do, though."

"He's a big boy, Steve, I'm sure he can handle himself just fine without you stalking him," she says, looking at him pointedly. She says it with a smile, trying to soften the blow a bit, though Steve needs to hear it. 

Steve looks a little offended, and she wonders if she's about to get the full strength of the Captain America Righteous Wrath, but then his shoulders slump. He sighs and sits at the end of the couch resting his elbows on his knees.

"I just want him to know I'm here," Steve says. "I want him to know he's welcome and safe here."

"Pretty sure he knows that," Darcy says. "And honestly, Steve. If Bucky really wanted to leave, do you think you'd be able to stop him?" 

Steve huffs a laugh and shakes his head. "Nah. He's always been stubborn son of a bitch," Steve says.

Darcy can't help but laugh at that. "And you aren't?" she asks. Steve snorts. "Oh yeah, I've heard the stories, Mr. Street Brawler."

Steve shrugs, completely unrepentant, not that she expects anything else.

"Yeah, well, we have that in common," he says.

"Oh, I know," Darcy says. "Seriously though, Steve. You don't need to worry about...about trying to _fix_ him to the old Bucky or anything. He has a whole team of doctors already working with him. He just needs you to be his friend."

Steve doesn't say anything for a while, just looks at her. She manages not to squirm under his stare (Jane's stares are a lot more intense than his, let's be real), and looks back. Finally he nods.

"You know, you're pretty smart," he says.

"Thanks for the surprise," Darcy says dryly.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Steve says, eyes wide, back to the man who will trip over himself to be polite to his friends.

"I know," she says, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "You're good. Anything else to discuss in this heart to heart? 'Cause I have an astrophysicist I need to feed and water."

"No, that's about it," Steve says. 

He hugs her before he leaves, something that surprises her a bit (she hadn't realized they're that far in their friendship, but cool). Jane, true to form, notices nothing going on around her until Darcy forces a sandwich into her hands. 

Darcy doesn't expect to see Bucky that night. It's a 50/50 chance if she'll see him after a therapy appointment, depending on how it went. She'd just gotten Jane down for a nap on the couch in the back of the lab and is tidying up Jane's disaster of a desk when she hears his voice from behind her.

"Steve says he talked to you today."

Darcy jumps about a foot in the air, shrieking as Bucky's voice comes out of nowhere. She whirls around to see him leaning against the door frame, smirking over at her.

"Is that really necessary?" she asks, putting a hand over her racing heart. 

Bucky shrugs, not looking sorry at all. Trolls, him and Steve both. Get them going with Natasha, the Troll Master General, and no one is safe.

"Steve said you two talked about me today," Bucky says. Darcy's gotten good over the past few months at figuring out his tones and facial expressions, but she really can't figure out what he's thinking, and that makes her nervous. She has no idea if he'll see this as a breach of privacy or betrayal. 

"It wasn't...It was nothing _bad_ , he just wanted to make sure you're okay..."

"I know, he told me," he says, waving away her concerns. She slumps in relief. "You didn't have to do that, doll. Thank you."

Darcy smiles slightly. "Trust me, I don't do anything I don't want to. You're my friend, Bucky. I'll go to bat for you every time."

Bucky studies her intently, and that's always a bit of a trip, being the focus of that sniper intensity, before he steps toward her. He telegraphs his movements, letting her know exactly what he's planning in case she wants to pull away. She doesn't. Bucky walks up to her, staring down at her, and wraps his arms, _both arms_ , around her, holding her tightly. His body is warm and solid against her and she can feel the tension of her day melting away. She fucking knew it; Bucky Barnes' all-encompassing hugs are a thing of beauty. 

Bucky doesn't pull away quickly like she'd be expecting. No, he shudders against her, resting his chin on top of her head as she tucks herself against him. She gives as good as she gets, arms tight around him. She's not sure how long they stand like that, but she isn't complaining at all, not when it feels so good to be held like this. Not when it seems like he really, really needs this. 

Bucky reluctantly lets her go when her stomach grumbles. He looks down at her with a frown.

"When did you eat last?" he asks.

"Uh...whenever I fed Jane?" she says.

"And that was?"

"...Lunch?"

"Okay, dinner, now," Bucky says. 

Bucky places a hand on her shoulder and steers her out of the lab, despite her weak protests. She really is hungry, and Bucky has gotten a lot better at cooking. Who's she to say no to that?

* * *

There are some days when Bucky doesn't talk. Sometimes it's because of nightmares, sometimes it's a really bad therapy session, sometimes it's for a reason Darcy can't guess, but she doesn't push him to speak if he doesn't want to. She doesn't always see him on those days, which is understandable. The first time that she'd freaked out when he'd gone silent, terrified that he wasn't okay, he'd promised he'd at least text her if it were one of those days so she can be prepared. 

Today is one of those days where he's going to be silent, but still wants to be around her. He shows up in the lab around one, most of the lab minions more or less used to him being around by now so no one really stares. Darcy takes one look at him and knows it's a silent day. She rustles around her desk, grabbing a few things before turning to where he's seated in a rolling chair at the edge of her desk, what she's come to think of as his spot.

"Book?" she asks, holding up _Cleopatra: A Life_. He shakes his head. 

"Chocolate?" she asks, holding up a Milky Way bar. His lip twitches, but he shakes his head.

"Bullshit time-wasting games?" she asks, holding up her tablet. She'd introduced him to the joys of Flappy Bird, Candy Crush, and Snake. He shrugs. Maybe later.

"Just wanna sit with me?" she asks. Bucky hesitates, like he's embarrassed, but nods. "Sure thing, dude. I'm actually waiting for Jane's latest data set, so we're mostly just cooling out heels for a while."

Bucky doesn't seem to mind, just relaxes back into his seat as Darcy turns up her laptop speakers a bit, letting him hear the jazz she has playing (it's Jazzy Tuesday, okay?). After about ten minutes of catching up on some busywork, Bucky shuffling a deck of cards he'd pulled from his pocket, Darcy kicks off her flats and props her feet up on the edge of her desk, pulling out her book. She glances over at him occasionally, smiling slightly when he does a particularly complicated shuffle that she couldn't hope to replicate. 

Jane and a few science minions walk by once in a while, but they're all busy enough that they don't pay her and Bucky any mind. They sit like that, Darcy reading and Bucky playing with his cards, for an hour before Darcy has to shift, her tailbone a little sore from sitting in the same position for so long. She shifts a bit, ankle popping when she rolls it. Before she can pull her feet down from the desk, Bucky's gently taking her ankles in his hands, shifting them to his lap. 

Before she can ask what he's doing, Bucky presses his thumb into the arch of her foot, making her groan in happiness. Bucky smirks slightly and doesn't let up, massaging the aches from her feet. She's been running around a lot the last few days and yeah, her shoes aren't the nicest, so she's been pretty sore. Bucky, ever observant Bucky, notices. He's gentle with his metal hand, but doesn't shy away from touching her with it anymore. She doesn't bother to hide her grin.

Bucky looks at her in concern when she rotates her ankle, wincing a bit when it cracks. He runs gentle fingers over the delicate bones, as if he could feel for injury (she has no idea what bag of tricks he has in his prosthetic, maybe he can). He rubs his thumb over where her ankle meets her foot, looking up at her.

"I fractured it when I was younger," she explains. "Just pops weird sometimes now, nothing major."

Bucky doesn't look convinced, but doesn't argue with her. He keeps her feet in his lap, even after he's finished massaging the pain from them. One hand rests on her crossed ankles, thumbing over the soft skin, his other picking up the book she'd set out for him. Jane, bless her, is more perceptive than people give her credit for (and she likes Bucky), and doesn't bother them for the rest of the day.

* * *

It's not always Darcy and/or Steve that Bucky spends time with. He spars with Natasha, runs with Sam, and hits the range with Clint (they bond over brainwashing and sniper skills, who knew?). Slowly, he starts to join group events. When everyone is at the tower at the same time, they'll have dinner. Bucky used to avoid them like the plague, but now he joins them more often than not. He pops in with their training exercises when he feels like it, even watches and gives a few pointers when Darcy has her self defense lessons with Natasha. 

It makes Darcy a bit nervous and distracted when he watches her, which Natasha of course notices. She gets that evil little glint in her eyes and takes advantage of it to get Darcy on her back. Darcy groans, but Natasha tells her there will always be distractions, even in the form of attractive former assassins. Darcy blushes and doesn't look to see if Bucky overheard that. 

It feels like she and Bucky are building toward something, like they have been for months. It's the way he seeks her out when he needs companionship, how he holds her tight when he hugs her, tucks her into his side on movie nights. It's how she can always feel his eyes on her when they're in the same room. It's how when there's a lockdown at the tower thanks to a sloppy AIM attack, he rushes to the lab before anything else, even though the attacks never made it past the lobby, tugging her and Jane to the nearest panic room before taking off after the intruders. It's how when the threat is neutralized, he comes back for her first, cradling her face in his hands like he needs to make sure she's all right.

"I used to be better at this," he says one afternoon. They're on the common room couch, her feet propped in his lap as they watch Planet Earth. Steve just left, having to take a call from Tony.

"At what?" she asks.

"Talking to pretty dames - women - like you," Bucky says, eyes down as he rubs his thumb over the skin of her ankle.

"I like how you are now," Darcy says. "You don't have to try to fit into the box of pre-World War II Bucky Barnes. You can just be you."

"You sound like Dr. Hines," Bucky says, looking up at her and smiling faintly.

"Dr. Hines sounds smart as hell," Darcy says.

Bucky huffs a laugh before his eyes turn serious. He shifts her feet off his lap and moves closer, until there are only inches separating their bodies. He reaches out slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wants, before resting his hand on the side of her neck. He could snap her neck easily if he wanted to, before she could even blink, but she knows he won't. Doesn't even consider it a possibility. He thumbs over her pulse, looking at her intently. 

"Can I kiss you?" he asks, voice rough and low.

Darcy grins, eyes lighting up. She nods, and he doesn't waste any time, leaning in and pressing his soft lips to hers. Darcy doesn't hesitate, kissing him back immediately. She lets him set the pace, lets him keep it chaste, but not dispassionate. He's careful, like he's remembering how, and god, this is a taste of Bucky Barnes she could get used to. 

He pulls back, eyeing her carefully. Whatever he sees from her spurs him on, because he kisses her again, harder this time, pouring in all the passion that's been building between them into the kiss. Darcy gives as good as she gets, clutching the front of his shirt as he pulls her closer. She's held like she's something precious, like she matters to him, and she knows without a shadow of a doubt that it's true.

When they part, he rests his forehead against hers, eyes closed. Darcy can't stop grinning, running her hands up and down his arms. He smiles back, one of those she doesn't see often, and it lights up his whole face.

"Been wanting to do that for a while, doll."

"Same. No time like the present, right?"

Bucky grins down at her. 

"Right."

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [ tumblr ](http://www.hotpinklizard.tumblr.com).


End file.
